To successfully complete the 1-Touch recovery, the Virtual Disk Service must be enabled before running a System State Backup. When you enable the Virtual Disk Service, the system state backup will include the required 1-Touch information.
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System State Components and Services
The Windows File System system state is made up of many components and services that are critical to recovery of the Windows operating system. The system state is backed up and restored as part of Windows File System iDataAgent backup and restore.
The system state could include any or all of the following components and services:
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1-Touch Component is not a Windows System State component. It is the
detailed hardware information, gathered by Windows File System
iDataAgent, during the System
State backup. The information is restored and used in a
1-Touch Recovery.
To successfully complete the 1-Touch recovery, the Virtual Disk Service must be enabled before running a System State Backup. When you enable the Virtual Disk Service, the system state backup will include the required 1-Touch information. |
By default, the system state is backed up along with file system data by the default subclient of a Backup Set. You can change this default setting and back up the system state with a different subclient in a Backup Set; see Back Up the System State for step-by-step instructions. Within a Backup Set, however, only one subclient can back up the system state.
A system state backup is always a full backup whether you select full, incremental, or differential backup for the subclient that includes the system state. You can, however, filter out some components from system state backup. (See Excluding System State Files from Backup on this page.) And you can restore individual system state components/services or the entire system state. (See Browse and Restore on this page.)
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Whichever method you choose for backing up the system state, it should be backed up on a regular basis. |
You can exclude any or all of the following system state components from backup by using the Filters tab in the Subclient Properties dialog:
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System state component folders are cleaned before data restoration, so any non-system data in system state component folders will be lost. |
See Filter Out System State Components for Backup for step-by-step instructions for using these filters.
Following are some issues to consider when backing up the system state.
By default, Volume Shadow Services (VSS) is used to back up the system state part of the default subclient for the Windows iDataAgents that support VSS. You can change this default by deselecting Use VSS for System State in the General tab of the Subclient Properties dialog. Refer to Back Up the System State for step-by-step instructions.
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Vista iDataAgents do not have the Use VSS for System State option in the General tab of the Subclient Properties dialog. The option is always enabled. |
Using VSS is the preferred method of backing up the system state for Windows iDataAgents that support VSS. If VSS is disabled on the subclient that is backing up system state, a number of system state components will not be protected. In addition, disabling VSS requires that the WINS and DHCP services be stopped in order to back up the WINS and DHCP databases.
To stop the WINS and DHCP services, use the following two advanced backup options on the Agent level:
For Windows File System, specifies that the system stop DHCP services on the client computer when System State data is backed up.
For Windows File System, specifies the system stop WINS services on the client computer when System State data is backed up.
Refer to Start a Backup with WINS/DHCP Services Disabled for step-by-step instructions for using these two Backup options. See VSS for Windows File System iDataAgents for more information on using VSS with Windows File System iDataAgents.
Backups (and restores) of the system state are disabled for virtual server computers in a cluster environment. In order to back up system state elements in a cluster environment, select Backup System State on a scheduled subclient on the active Physical Node. To back up the cluster database, Cluster Service must be running on the physical node. For more information, see Backing Up Quorum Data for MSCS (Microsoft Cluster Server) Clusters on the Backup - Microsoft Windows File System page.
Scheduled backups can provide a convenient means of backing up the system state without user intervention. Refer to the Scheduling page for more information about establishing backup schedules.
When scheduling system state backups, you should establish a frequent backup schedule. A backup schedule always contains a full backup and may contain one or more incremental and/or differential backups. When combined for a given subclient, these backups comprise a full backup cycle.
The system state needs regular and frequent backups. If the default subclient is backing up the system state, take this into consideration when scheduling your backups.
System state components can be included with the Windows File System data when doing restores. You can restore the entire system state or just certain of its individual components/services.
One of the following methods is used to restore the system state:
Following are more details on using these methods for system state restores.
Browse and Restore provides a flexible way to restore system state data. The client browse window offers three main subcategories for system state: Components, Services, and Special Components. Each category has its own elements and its own rules for restoration, as described below.
System State Components include the following:
Restore rules for Components are as follows:
System State Services include the following:
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In order to restore a Content Indexing Catalog, you must perform a full System State restore. You cannot select and restore just "Content Indexing Catalog" in the System State services. |
Restore rules: Individual services or all services can be restored in place or out of place.
Except for 1-Touch, System State Special Components can only be restored as a group.
See Restore the System State Using Browse and Restore for step-by-step instructions.
When you use the Restore by Jobs method for a Windows File System subclient, you can restore the system state along with file system data if you do an out-of-place restore. Restore by Jobs allows you to restore the system state out of place only, not in place. If you attempt to restore a backup job in place on a subclient that was used to back up system state, the system state data will be filtered out and only file system data will be restored. If you do the same restore out of place, both system state and file system data will be restored.
For more information on this restore method, see the Restore by Jobs page. For step-by-step procedures, see Restore by Jobs for File System Data.
Following are some issues to consider when restoring system state.
System state restore procedures differ depending on whether you are restoring to a domain controller or to a non-domain controller. The domain controller must be restarted in the Directory Services Restore mode in order to restore certain objects, such as the Active Directory. See Specific Boot Modes for more information. There is no need to boot in a special mode for a system state restore of a non-domain controller because no databases need to be taken offline.
The Restore ACLs Only restore option allows you to apply backed up Access Control Lists (ACLs) to files that have been restored without their ACLs, or apply them to the existing files at the restore destination. When this option is selected, ACLs are restored/applied only if the file is present (i.e., restored or already existing in the restore location).
Following are some possible reasons why you would restore the system state (or some of its elements) out-of-place:
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These methods require advanced skills. Be sure to visit the Microsoft support website and look for articles that describe these methods in more detail. |
When using these options you must store or change the job results to a local drive. (For step-by-step instructions, see Change the Job Results Path of a Client.)
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System state restore is not permitted in-place on a Commserve. |